Estrin hits big time as Cisco CTO

Judy Estrin is confident that she can shape Cisco's strategy and cognizant that her new role places her at the forefront of powerful women in high-technology.

April 24, 19981:45 PM PDT

When Vint Cerf, one of the founders of the Net, is your college adviser,
you know you're off to a good start.

Judy Estrin, new chief technology officer at Cisco
Systems--the largest data
networking firm in the business, is no novice in Silicon Valley. She
wrapped up a master's degree at Stanford
University and went on to
start three companies.

But Cisco is a long way from a start-up culture. The firm had nearly $7
billion in revenue for its most recent fiscal year and currently enjoys a
market capitalization that hovers around $70 billion. In replacing
long-time Cisco CTO Ed Kozel, Estrin is hitting the big time, confident
that she can shape the company's strategy in an ever-evolving market and
cognizant that her new role places her at the forefront of powerful women
in high-technology.

Estrin, 43, is undaunted, exuding a faith in abilities honed through her
hands-on experience. "I have a very strong understanding and passion for
networking," she said in a recent interview during her first week on the
job. "I have a very strong technical background, but I am very good at
communicating to the business customer."

Along the way she tapped into three trends that continue to shape the
technology industry. At Bridge, she was a proponent of building industrial
strength networking equipment to tie local networks together, a philosophy
that put her at odds with executives at 3Com once her firm was acquired by the
Cisco competitor in 1987. Cisco was more that happy to fill the breach.

At NCD, Estrin championed the concept of network-based computing and "thin
clients," building X-terminals that connected to large back-end mainframe
and mini-computer systems. NCD continues her vision to this day, building
network computers for the likes of IBM.

At Precept, Estrin caught multimedia fever, building software to facilitate
network-based video broadcasts. She essentially became the spokeswoman for
the emerging industry based around IP multicast protocols, most recently
discussing developments in the technology at a summit showcasing the progress of the multimedia niche.

Estrin has big shoes to fill. Kozel, who is lightening his load at Cisco,
is regarded by many as a visionary in the networking industry, adept at
targeting nascent trends in how layouts are built.

"Kozel is a tough act to follow," said David Passmore, president of
industry consultants NetReference. "I don't know that
Judy will be as vocal, but she certainly understands the technology and has
the experience on the business side."

Estrin said she is not out to make waves at Cisco, noting that the firm has
been doing just fine up to now. "This does not mark a strategic shift," she
said. "I would not have signed up if there was going to be a change in
style."

Due to the dearth of high-ranking women in Silicon Valley, the inevitable
questions concerning her gender are bound to surface, but Estrin said that
she has largely been oblivious to her relatively unique standing in the
valley.

"Silicon Valley on the one hand is known as a boys' club, but on the other
hand, I've never had an issue with this," Estrin said. "When I got into
this business, if you had the right technology background, it didn't matter."

Estrin, however, is critical of the "star mentality" that seems to permeate
through the valley these days. "I think we've gotten a little full of
ourselves, actually."

Those who work with her say she should do just fine at the sprawling Cisco
campus in San Jose.

"What she was able to do was to give me an insider's view of Sun from the
outside," McNealy continued. "She's been a real strong believer in Sun's
strategy and making sure we have the strength and the fortitude and the
perseverance."

"I think all our jobs are hard," McNealy said. "I think she's very, very
smart so I don't think she'll have a problem."